Actually, it was The Magical Murph who let us know that right away in the first inning, sparing us any suspense.
What? Pay attention on the bases? Nah, it's too much to concentrate on at once, I'm too busy imagining what creative new way I can drop another fly ball in left field...
He managed not only to get picked off first base with David Wright at the plate, (and go'wan it's not "caught stealing" so much as caught napping, playing typical Mets baseball,) but supplemented one buffoonery for another, dropping another fly ball, this time in the bottom of the first to help the Dodgers to an early lead.
I have to admit, yesterday I felt kind of bad for the way Jerry's been jerking him around lately and busting his confidence down further but really, it's pretty much impossible to excuse this. He's a professional athlete, presumably coordinated. Sure, left field isn't his natural position but all we're talking about is catching a fecking fly ball here kids. Certainly this doesn't require a thousand years of practice does it?
More and more whenever I see Murph out there I'm starting to think he's doing some sort of Todd Hundley impersonation out there in left field these days. Every fly ball is a terror. Yeah it was funny a few weeks ago when you tripped and fell on your arse Murph but we're two months into the season now. Are you a professional athlete or a rodeo clown?
And next off, will someone please get Ramon Martinez on the next bus to Buffalo? Not happy with a pair of errors in his début on Monday night, he struck out three times and left four men on base last night. What's left to excuse his presence on a Major League Baseball team, even if it is only the Mets? "Geez, Jerry, he might not be able to field and he sure can't hit but he's a fucking champion with that remote control on the clubhouse giant screen tv. We gotta keep him Jer, we just gotta!"
As bad as Monday night was, as pathetic and humiliating as their performance was, national laughingstocks, they could have immediately eased some of the pressure by I dunno, getting out of the first bloody inning without looking like fools?
Nope.
Instead, this was a regurgitation of the Mets modus operandi of earlier this season - take a lead, let the starting pitcher tire and let the other team tie or take the lead then succumb meekly to the inevitable loss. That's how you end up wasting Frankie Boy pitching a meaningless outing to hold the lead to a mere two runs.
Nice half an outing John.
What difference did it make? Was there really any hope, once that three run homer off Maine was deposited that the Mets were going to stage some miraculous rally to save the game? Not really. That little spurt of a week or two is over and the Mets are back to bowing their heads in shame, apologising for their existence, the butt of jokes around the Major Leagues.
We can say with relief that at least we won't have a September lead to blow this season.
Only a few days ago we repeated the observation that the only team that can really beat the Mets are themselves. And by christ, they are certainly good at that.
******
late Update: It looks like The Magical Murph is getting one last chance, this time, to play 1B tonight. If he doesn't shine at 1B that could be the conclusion of his Mets career. If he does, whoopdeedoo, the Mets problems will be over. (ha!)
I have to admit to feeling a little calmer after listening to Jerry talk his way out of danger with Fat Mike F. on WFAN this evening.
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2 comments:
I read a live chat in newsday today that might have been a day or two old. But the gist of every other post was that Jerry was an idiot managing a game and Ken Davidoff essentially agreed. I too essentially agree. This guy is a charlatan. He has me longing for the days of Dumb Willie's "gut" calls. He is the Herm Edwards of baseball managers. If he were a GM he would be the Steve Phillips of baseball GMs. I am glad you feel better, Jaap. I almost never listen to Fatso. Maybe I will load the podcast. But Jerry is a con man. And he has a mean streak I did not know he had last year. Oh, and this team, without a satisfactory replacement at cleanup, will finish third. Heck, they probably will, anyway.
I don't disagree that Jerry's managerial skills leave alot to be desired - I still prefer him over Willie though. If Jerry is the Herm Edwards of baseball managers, Willie was the Rich Kotite of baseball managers.
The one thing I got out of that interview with Jerry was a sense of calm. You tend to lose sight that just because the media and fans are in an uproar, sometimes the clubhouse and the team is significantly less hysterical.
For a few days anyway, I'm just going to try and keep that in perspective.
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